Allianz to tweak wine and golf fundraiser

The usual Saturday night wine and golf fundraiser at the PGA's Allianz Championship in Boca Raton is moving out from under a tent to the 18th green and will be earlier in the day this year.

The third annual "Grapes on the Green Golf & Wine Experience" is set for 3 to 6 p.m. Feb.11, the tournament just announced. The 2012 Allianz Championship is Feb. 6 to 12 at the Old Course at Broken Sound. [Spectators are admitted for free but there are packages for skybox seating.]

The wine tasting will take place in a private area between the 18th green and the driving range during the second round of play. The Boca Raton Bridge Hotel presents this event, and proceeds go to Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

"We wanted to try something different and get it closer to the golf action, which is why we put it on the 18th green,'' said tournament director Ryan Dillon.

The reworked event is modeled after the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, he said. "They do a phenomenal job. There was a line of 250 people waiting to get in.''

Last year's fundraiser here was sold out and raised $50,000 for Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Dillon said. This year his goal is raising $75,000. "We wanted to get more people involved, so we're bringing it outside to make more money for our charity."

If it rains, they'll use a pop-up tent or "we'll bring it to the clubhouse," he said.

"Also different this year is, we've got eight participating restaurants and we had the players' wines in there and now we're doing many wines, 12 to 15 wineries represented," he said. "We had a few players last year, and I'm expecting to have more this year. Tom Lehman has already said he's coming back to defend his title.

"Bernhard Langer and Nick Price have also signed on. We always get the top players and we're just excited to be back in Boca in February," he said.

The hospital puts the proceeds to good use, said Jan Savarick, president of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation., "The funds have gone to our Ron & Kathy Assaf Center for Excellence in Nursing," she said. The center provides ongoing education and advanced nursing training for staff, scholarships and support for student nurses and other programs to help the hospital attract and retain good nurses.

"The Allianz is an incredible opportunity for the community and for the hospital, and clearly it raises awareness," Savarick said. "We're grateful to be the recipients."

If you go

Tickets for the Allianz Championship "Grapes On the Green Golf & Wine Experience" are $85 per person. Ticket packages range from $200 to $750 and there are sponsorships available. Visit allianzchampionship.com, call the tournament office at 561-241-4653 or email Anthony Greco at agreco@allianzchampionship.com.